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Before even reading a single word of this article, there are two things you should know already.
A. Detroit loves hockey.
B. Detroit loves to rock.
Great, now that we’re all clear on that I’m sure it comes as no surprise that when the lovely folks at The Crofoot and AEG Live announced their first ever ‘High Velocity Super Action Fun Time Mega Fest’ or ‘Mega Fest Detroit’ for short, the end result was a sold out crowd of over 4,600 fans packing Plymouth’s Compuware Arena on a frigid Friday in February.
The festival served as a highlight night for ‘The American Dream Tour’ headlined by UK titans Bring Me The Horizon, who were kind enough to bring Of Mice & Men, Issues, and Northlane along for the ride.
And with any true local festival, the need for home town natives couldn’t be overlooked. Enter Motor City juggernauts We Came As Romans and the rapidly rising, lewd, crude party animals of Wilson, and there was no shortage of local love to be found. Oh, and Attila. Did I mention that this was a party?
You might be asking yourself right now, what does a line of over a thousand people standing in front of the singular entrance to a hockey arena for an OHL (Ontario Hockey League) team look like?
Wilson kicked off the first-ever Mega Fest with some full-blast ‘fuckery.’ Dylan Dulberg/The Pit
Well, I didn’t take a picture, but it was absolutely massive. And those who made sure to arrive by the time doors opened were rewarded with the savage heavy stylings of local hard rockers Wilson. Fresh off their appearance on this year’s Shiprocked Cruise, Wilson delivered the energy, attitude, and tasty jams that have quickly made them a name in cities across the country. While others might have found themselves just getting off work or wrapping up with school around this time, Plymouth had a full blown ‘College Gangbang’ on their hands.
If MegaFest wanted to start things right, the Fuckery of Wilson was nothing short of a brilliant move.
By the time Northlane hit the big stage the crowd had grown almost twice in size and the lines to get in were just a wee bit shorter. Much to the delight of these Aussie up and comers, their first day on the tour was met with open arms and uproarious applause. The progressive flavor in MegaFest’s refreshing concoction, Northlane made a great impression on their fans and definitely won a hefty sum of new ones. And yes, that includes me.
Keeping the show moving at a break neck pace, the insanely hot Issues got feet moving and vocal chords popping throughout the arena. The genre bending seismic sound of hardcore, R&B, and straight up sick music did what it does best; pump up an already elated contingent of supporters. If Tyler Carter didn’t receive at least one marriage proposal before the night was over, you can color me a shade of stunned.
Attila playing Mega Fest. Dylan Dulberg/The Pit
At this point we’ve hit capacity and an audience of over four thousand people is feeling awake, rowdy, and almost certainly a little intoxicated. But hey, what else would you expect from an Attila party?
And with that we now arrive at one of the biggest things to take away from the entire night: This is the year for Of Mice & Men. Riding high on the release of their latest effort ‘Restoring Force’, which charted #4 on the Billboard 200 (Yes, you read that right. Number Four), the venerable metalcore stalwarts hit hard with equal parts intensity and charisma.
It was clear, this is a band having the time of their lives that want the fans to come along for the ride. Whether it was new tunes like ‘Bones Exposed’ and ‘You’re Not Alone’ or established favorites in ‘O.G. Loko’ and ‘Still YDG’N’, the crowd made it clear that Of Mice & Men have arrived as one of the scene’s brightest stars.
With such a stacked lineup already playing before them, it’s arguably an embarrassment of riches that Detroit’s own We Came As Romans weren’t even the headliners for the evening.
The hometown boys did Michigan proud with a set chock full of well known hits, both new and old. I mean, do I really need to say more on this one? When ‘Hope’ comes to the Motor City, it’s a force that shakes venues both big and small. Let there be no doubt, WCAR returning to their roots was worth the price of admission alone. But of course, there was still this little band called Bring Me The Horizon…
So, way back in the year before this one, Bring Me The Horizon released their newest album ‘Sempiternal’. It was pretty well received here in the states (hardcore bands from the UK don’t chart #11 on the Billboard everyday). And do you want to know something? I think the band knew it was a hit here, too!
Bring Me The Horizon headlined a sold out Mega Fest. Dylan Dulberg/The Pit
Instead of a set that leaned strongly on older classics or even split the difference half way, BMTH went damn near all in with a show that showcased their most acclaimed record to date. Opening up with the album’s title track ‘Can You Feel My Heart’, the band demonstrated an instant mastery of how to recreate the intimate ambiance one felt listening to the album for a live setting. The pace was droning. The tone was listless. And in an instant it was met with crashing symbols, grooving riffs, and pulsing beats.
But what might have stood out most of all was the vocal approach from Oli Sykes. Instead of belting into a higher register on parts that had called for it in recording, the frontman decidedly kept it low. Clearly done for the purpose of keeping key notes sounding pristine and chilling, it was ultimately a strategy that paid off big.
This sound allowed songs like ‘And The Snakes Start To Sing’ and ‘Blessed With A Curse’ to have a bigger, brooding effect while anthems like ‘Shadow Moses’ and ‘Activist’ tapped into a bitter aggression that built up until the point of sheer eruption.
Overall, Bring Me The Horizon delivered an awesome, memorable show for their biggest crowd on the tour.
